St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-06-04
TIE ELECTION FOR JUDGE.

from the Baton Rouge Advocate, and
also itself contains an editorial, striv-
ing to prove that act 101 approved 1882,
does not repeal that portion of the
act of 1877 giving authority to the
Police Juries to fix the polling places.
The Courier says in asserting this view
That being fact, all the labored
efforts to prove that the Governor has
not acted strictly within the law
amount to absolutely nothing but
wind"
The Advocate says: CAS- the pre-
cinct lines in St. Landry were destroyed
by the formation of the new parish of
Acadia, it is clear that legat election
could not be held until the disturbed
wards or precincts had been rearranged,
and the polling places established by
the police jury in the manner stipula-
ted in the section above quoted.n
The Courier assumes (dOes not as
sert) that Encouragement of the poll
ing places is necessary while the Ad-
vocate, following the lead of the Gov
ernor, boldly asserts it.
Immediately upon the issuance of the
proclamation, the Acadia Sentinel de-
clared that no Encouragement of the
polls or precincts in that parish was ne
cessary, as it had already been done re-
Gently fact which we editorially
said, must have been known to the
Governor, We said editorially also,
that every precinct in st.
Landry, had it's polling
place except a small fraction Of the
Church Point precinct containing IS or
30 votes; statement which has not
been Contradicted by any body and
which at once shows what microsco-
pic substratum of truth there is in
these assertions.
We now address this interrogatory to
our contemporaries
Would the ordering and holding the
special election Immediately as directed
by the Constitution and laws, have
been illegal, if the returning officer or
police jury or both acting together, had
supplied these rs or 30 voters with a
polling place, or had these few votes
gone to neighboring box to vote, OR
even if they had not been able to vote
at all? Does the Governor or the
papers supporting him in this act grave
~ put up the plea that such an insight
ficant and easily surmountable obstacle
in the way, of these few people voting,
actually justified him in striking down
the constitutional and legal right of the
whole people of this district, eight
Thousand voters, to fill by election the
unexpired term of Judge Hudspeth
Shame, shame upon such perversion
of the law! This assumption by the
Governor of a right reserved by the
people to themselves, is one of the |
grosest acts Of personalism and usur-
patton, an act which should subject
him to the gravest censure of the
whole people Of the State.
These considerations show how unim-
pertant and trivial are the alleged
legal difficulties in the way of an early |
election.
But we assert again that there was
no real legal difficulty in the way of an
election, and that the returning officer
IS given authority by section S of act
101 of 1882, to fix the polling places.
The Courier says that section 5 in d.
recting the returning officer to designate
the polling places merely means that
he shall advertise the polling places al
ready fixed by the police jury. Why
employ the returning officer to give
publicity to the official acts of the police
iuryF But section II of the act of
1877 provides fully for the advertise
ment Of the polling places. 1t says
"That when said polling
places and precincts are established
they shall be published IN the official pro-
ceedinqs of the police jury" And thus
the very section Of the law invoked by
the Governor and his friends in sup
mort Of this flimsy Interpretation,
knocks it to pieces!
In conclusion we say that SO far as we
know. the returning officers through
ont State have been exercising the au-
thority to fix the election polling places
since the enactment of the amendment
If 1882, In this parish, and others ad-
Joining it, he has exercised that autbori-
ty without question. The Governors
tier to A. L. Durio returning officer OF
TO- Martins parish in 1884, does not
o. >point in favor of the interpre-
lnahe : Intended for. 1t is we'll known
Ia1on W. ADMINISTRATION took deep in
Lna1 tne az a lection Of Judge Gates to
Teresa AZ ,ho hat district and, if we
the bench OF :. ourio was supporter
mistake not, MT. Now. we think it
Of Judge Fontelieu. 1smonsfroted that
has been sufficiently 49, as IT.
His excellency has the b. >D'' - - I ~ ne
his interpretations of the NV IT, " , .no
time. place and occasion. nouso' W
mnst be excused from aecel "ins INV
Advocates production Of that ie.'ei AZ